1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card reader and electronic equipment which handles a card provided with a magnetic stripe or an IC chip and effects reading and writing of information.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 11, a conventional card reader is comprised of a card inserting portion 100 into which a card 20 is inserted; a slider 101 which moves in interlocking relation to the card 20 upon insertion of the card 20; an ejection spring 102 for urging the slider 101 in an ejecting direction; a slider retaining portion 103a of a slider connecting portion 103 for stopping and locking the slider 101 at the position where the slider 101 is present in the inserted state; a solenoid 104 for canceling the latch; a plunger 105 incorporated in the solenoid 104; a pin 105a in the plunger 105 for latching the slider retaining portion 103a; a spring 106 for urging the plunger 105 in a direction in which the plunger 105 can be easily latched; and a card detection switch 107 for detecting that the card has entered up to a predetermined position.
When the card is inserted, and the slider 101 loaded with the ejection spring 102 is inserted up to a predetermined position, the slider retaining portion 103a of the slider connecting portion 103 is set in a state of being caught by the pin 105a of the plunger 105 incorporated in the solenoid 104 for canceling the latch of the slider 101. Hence, the slider 101 is set in a state of being stopped at a predetermined position by being latched. Thus the arrangement provided is such that the IC contact is brought into contact with an IC terminal on the IC card, thereby making it possible to transmit and receive information through the IC terminal.
To eject the inserted card, by allowing a DC current to flow across the solenoid 104 for a predetermined time, the plunger 105 of the solenoid 104 is retracted into the solenoid 104, so that the slider retaining portion 103a of the slider 101 is unlatched from the pin 105a attached to the plunger 105 in the solenoid 104. As a result, the card together with the slider 101 is returned to the card inserting portion 100 by the urging force of the ejection spring 102, so that the IC card can be pulled out manually in the use of the card reader.
In such a card reader, if a card which has been cut into a length shorter than a normal card by way of tampering in the use or a broken card or the like ascribable to the poor state of its storage by the user is inserted into the card inserting portion, the card cannot be removed from the interior of the card reader, making it impossible to use the apparatus.
However, with the above-described conventional IC card reader, when the IC card is inserted in a guide passage of a card reader body and is located in a predetermined position where the reading and writing of IC card information can be effected, the card guide passage is not so structured as to press the IC card from the side of the IC card opposite to its side where the IC terminal portion is provided. In addition, since an opening portion is formed on the side of the IC card opposite to its side where the IC terminal portion is provided, although there is no problem in the case of a normal flat card in the contact between the IC contact and the IC terminal portion of the card, if a warped, bent, or deformed card is inserted, the contact between the IC terminal portion and the IC contact is not sufficient, so that there are cases where the reading and writing of information in the IC card cannot be effected.
The invention has as its object to provide an IC card reader which overcomes the above-described problems.
To attain the above object, the IC card reader of the invention comprises: an IC contact for coming into contact with an IC terminal of a card; and a rotating member which is rotated by the insertion of the card, wherein the rotating member starts to rotate about a rotating shaft as the card presses a portion of the rotating member, and a portion of the rotating member which rotated presses a surface of the card opposite to its surface with which the IC contact is brought into contact.
It is also preferable that the IC card reader of the present invention comprises: an IC contact for coming into contact with an IC terminal of a card; and a rotating member which is rotated by the insertion of the card, wherein a rotating shaft of the rotating member is located on a side of the card opposite to its side where the IC contact is provided.
In addition, the IC card reader of the present invention further comprises: a resilient member, such as a leaf spring, which is provided in a portion of the rotating member which comes into contact with the card.
In addition, the IC card reader of the present invention comprises: a switch which is switched on mechanically and/or electrically by the insertion of a card; and a power supply turning-on member which operates by the switching on of the switch.
In addition, in the IC card reader of the present invention, as the card is inserted, a card guide having a width slightly narrower than the width of the card is expanded to operate one surface of the card guide, and the switch is switched on as a side surface of the card is brought into contact with the switch.
In addition, the IC card reader of the present invention further comprises: a switch provided on the rotating member and adapted to be switched on when the card has been inserted into an innermost portion of the card reader, and has reached and rotated the rotating member.